The Runaway and the Outlaw
by PhoenixBrave
Summary: Xion, the Runaway, escapes from her hometown. She meets with Axel, the Outlaw, and eventually becomes allies. But their secrets withheld them from becoming too attached to each other. Will they trust the other enough to share their secrets? Or will their secrets break them...?
1. CH 1 : RUN

CH 1 : RUN

She was running as fast as she can. But those footsteps were still getting closer. She had to run faster.

_Faster!_

The trees passed by in a blur. She saw glimpse of glowing eyes between the trees. The wind hit her face as she ran for her life.

_It's no use. They're gaining on me._

She pulled her hood to cover her face deeper and wiped away tears as she ran.

She was terrified, tired, and losing hope.

Just then, she saw a space between some rocks. She wasn't sure if she would be able to fit in, but she had to risk it.

She sped up and swiftly dived in. She crawled a little further in and hid behind a rock to make sure they won't see her. She heard footsteps outside. Her pursuers were grumbling to each other.

"Did she just go in here?" One asked.

"Seems like that." The other stepped closer to examine the entrance.

"Oh man..." The first one complained. "How in the world are we supposed to get her? We can't possibly get through this small opening!"

Suddenly, there was a sound like a boomerang followed by a thump and a bonk and a few yelps. Then there was silence.

_Something happened..._

She listened carefully but she couldn't hear her pursuers anymore. Instead there were soft footsteps quietly walking around.

"Heh! That was too easy." A man's voice said, obviously pleased. "These guys' senses are becoming quite dull since-"

As the girl tried to listen closer, she slipped on a rock and winced.

The newcomer turned toward the opening of the cave and slightly glared at it. He slowly walked closer to the entrance and readied his weapons - two Chakrams, one in each hand.

"Alright, who's there?" He demanded as he stopped right in front of the opening. "You better come out before things get ugly."

The girl didn't want to go out. She was scared. But she had no choice. She knew from his tone that he was serious. She didn't know how the man would 'make things ugly' but she had a feeling that he would somehow find a way to do it.

And obviously, she couldn't hide here forever. So she took a deep breath, hid her face deeply into her black hood, and slowly crawled out.

She looked up slightly to see what the man looked like. He was quite tall and had long spiky red hair. His emerald eyes were a strange mixture of amusement and angst. And he was somewhat familiar...

The man noticed that the girl didn't have anything much, just a small pack saddled over her shoulder. She wore a black cloak that covered most of her body. She even wore a black long sleeve shirt, black pants, black gloves, and black boots. The man guessed that she must have chosen those outfits to hide in the dark or something. Or maybe she just liked black very much.

"What were you doing in there?" He asked a little harshly.

When he noticed that the stranger flinched at his demand and her legs were shaking, his face loosened from his scowl a little and he slightly, but unintentionally, lowered his Chakrams.

He wanted to hit himself for being too soft sometimes. It was his weakness. If it were a monster or something, he wouldn't even hesitate to strike. But when it comes to someone who just looks like... like this girl - frightened and shaken - he just couldn't help but make the mistake of letting his guard down.

"Hiding." The girl's voice was wavering.

"Hiding?" The man raised an eyebrow. Then he glanced back at the guys he just knocked out. "You mean from these guys?" He pointed.

She nodded.

The man hesitated but finally disarmed his Chakrams. He waited a while, just in case the girl attacked. Only when he saw that the girl had no intention to strike did he allow himself to relax.

"So," The man started. "You're saying that you, a mysterious girl in black, were running from the royal guards?"

She nodded again.

The man knew who the guys he knocked out were. He knew them a bit too well actually... And the guys were obviously dressed in the royal guard's uniform, which again, he knew very well.

He scowled, crossing his arms. "Why?"

The girl gave him no answer.

The man waited until the silence was becoming too much for him.

"Fine. If you don't want to tell then that's okay-"

At that moment, he heard leaves rustling nearby. He turned toward the sound with his Chakrams summoned. But all he saw was a rabbit hopping out of a bush.

Nevertheless, he didn't let his guard down. He looked around to make sure that there was really no one around.

He gestured for the girl to be quiet and follow him. The girl hesitated but eventually nodded and quietly went after him.

They walked through the woods and crossed a stream. After moving a big rock in front of a tree, they crawled through the big tree hole that was hidden behind it. They arrived at a place that had a hand-made climbing ladder going up into the top of the tree and down into a hole under the ground.

The man placed the rock back in its place. Then he turned to face the girl.

"Alright, so now you must be thinking that I'm acting very weird." He sighed. "And I brought you to my hiding place... Great."

He sat down on the floor, leaning against the tree. The girl sat across from him.

"I'm guessing that you want an explanation?" The man asked.

She nodded.

"Huh, I'm a little surprised that you don't know who I am. My face is posted almost everywhere in the kingdom, you know."

The girl flinched a little at his comment. "I...I haven't been out for quite a while."

The man looked at her suspiciously. But finally, he shrugged. "Okay. But I have a deal before you get to know my story."

"What's that?" The girl asked.

"I'll tell you my story after you tell me yours." He said simply.

The girl froze. She slowly looked away, shaking her head weakly. "I can't..."

The guy looked at her for a few seconds, then nodded. "I had a feeling you would say that." He stood. As he started climbing the ladder, he turned back to the girl. "Well? Come on." He climbed up casually like climbing a swinging ladder was a very simple task.

She was a little confused but eventually followed him. She had trouble going up because of all the swinging, but she finally made it to the top. And what she saw took her breath away.

From where she was, she could see the whole forest, 360 degrees. The setting sun in the horizon had a nice mixture of soft yellow and orange. And a few distances away, she saw the kingdom.

It was so beautiful when she looked at it from here. So beautiful that she couldn't believe that something so unfair was happening there.

She turned and saw the man standing at the ledge of the platform. The place was like a tree house, but with no walls. It was covered only by green leaves making a domed roof and partly a green wall that was thick enough to hide the place from the outside.

"Quite a view, huh?" The man said as the girl came to stand next to him.

"Did you build this place yourself?" She asked.

He nodded. "I found this tree about two years ago. It's far enough from the kingdom so not so many people comes by, but it's also not too far to go buy some things at the market either." He crossed his arms. "So, I decided to make a shelter here. The top of the tree was a nice domed roof that can cover the inside, and there was a hole that led underground. So I made the hole deeper and made myself a small room to stay. There are plenty of fruit in the forest so I don't have to go buy food at the market. But I have to go there once in a while to buy some tools, clothes or just to catch up with what's happening in the kingdom."

The girl nodded. "So you've been living in the forest for two years. I'm guessing you won't tell me why."

"Nope. A deal's a deal. I'm not telling my story until you tell me yours."

The girl sighed. "I guess I won't be knowing your story anytime soon then..."

The man glanced at her, frowning. "Is it that difficult to tell?"

The girl's face darkened. "Sorry," she said quietly. "I really don't want to..."

The man stared at her and thought for a little while. "Well, that's fine with me." He gave her a small smile. "Say, you hungry?"

\--

"Whoa..." The girl exclaimed.

The room they climbed down into from the ladder was small but cozy. It was a domed room like an igloo. There was a bed in the far side of the room, two lamps on the floor, one lamp dangling from the ceiling, piles of wooden crates, something that seemed to be food containers, and a pile of the man's stuff.

"Welcome to my humble home." He said as he lit the lamps, making the room nice and bright.

"Have a seat." He said, turning to face the piles of stuff on the floor. "I'll fix up a little something for you."

The girl sat down with her back leaning against the bed. And at that moment, she realized just how tired she was. Her eyelids started to close as she drifted off to sleep.

"There you go." The man said as he turned to show the food he made. "One fruit salad-"

The man noticed that the girl was fast asleep. He shrugged and put the plate of fruit salad down on one of the boxes. Then he knelt down next to the girl, scooped her up, and lied her down on the bed.

He stared at the girl. She was somehow familiar to him. It wasn't her face, because her hood was hiding it. Maybe it was the feeling of being with her. Or maybe it was the way she talked. Whatever the reason, he couldn't find out why.

"She's one interesting girl." He said to himself. "I wonder who she really is..."


	2. CH 2 : HIDEOUT

CH 2 : HIDEOUT

"I can't believe that you of all people would betray us... I'm so hurt." His friend said sarcastically with fake sympathy.

"What are you talking about?" The red-headed man glared.

"Don't act stupid, traitor." His friend said. "We were aware that someone has been trying to turn us in," He walked around him slowly. "And now that you have obviously showed yourself," He paused and gave him a cold stare. "We will have to eliminate you."

\--

The man woke up, terrified. He panicked and looked around himself.

He was sitting on the floor of his room next to his bed. He took a deep breath and calmed himself.

"Just a dream..." He murmured.

He relaxed and wiped his forehead that was covered with sweat. He stood up and stretched himself. He turned toward the bed next to him and jumped as he saw the girl sleeping there.

"Who-"

Then he remembered that he met the mysterious girl the day before and he was the one who brought her here. But now, her hood was not covering her face any more. He finally saw what she looked like.

The girl had short black hair. Her sleeping face was so peaceful that he couldn't believe she had something to worry about so much that she couldn't tell him. And her face was very familiar... it was like he saw her before.

Then the girl's eyes slowly opened. She sat up groggily. The man quickly looked away.

"H-hey. You sleep well?" He nervously scratched the back of his head.

The girl nodded.

She rubbed her eye and realized that her hood was off. She started to panic and hid her face under the hood again.

"You saw my face?" She asked cautiously.

The man raised an eyebrow. "Of course, I did." He replied. "Why? Is there a reason that I can't see your face or something?" He crossed his arms. "You don't have to hide it, you know. I already saw it anyway"

The girl paused. She slowly pushed her hood away. "Yeah, you're right..."

"I'm guessing that you're someone who's wanted. And your face has to be quite obvious to notice so you had to hide it." The man said.

The girl shook her head and let out a miserable little laugh. "You have no idea-" Then, like she just realized something, she raised her head up . "Come to think of it, I don't know your name yet."

The man shrugged and smiled sarcastically. "Well, I'm not telling you my name until you tell me yours."

The girl sighed. "You really want to do it like this, don't you?"

The man just smiled.

"Fine." She said finally. She faced the man and straightened herself. "My name is Xion."

The man tilted his head. The girl's style of introducing herself was a bit too official, like she was trained to do it. He felt uncomfortable with that but he pushed that thought away for the time being.

"Alright, my turn." He cleared his throat. "My name is Axel." He stretched out his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Xion."

Xion shook his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, too, Axel."

At that moment, a growl sounded through the room.

Axel turned with his weapons ready. "What was that?"

Xion looked down to hide her reddened face. "That was me…" She said quietly.

"Huh?" Axel turned back to see a hand on her stomach. There was a long silence. The next moment, he burst out laughing at the realization. He disarmed his weapons and crossed his arms. "I see. I see." He said between laughs. "You haven't eaten anything since we met. Or maybe even before we met."

Xion nodded.

Axel walked to the piles of crates and made another plate of fruit salad. Then he walked back and gave it to her. "Here you go. Yesterday you fell asleep before you got to eat."

Xion thankfully accepted the dish and started to eat. Her eyes shone with amazement at her first bite.

"This tastes great!" She exclaimed. "I mean, it's just fruit but it's so... fresh."

Axel smiled. "Glad you like it."

After that, she ate until her dish was clean.

She smiled. "That was nice. Thank you."

"You're welcome." He said as he put the dish away. "You can eat anything you want anytime you want. They're right here in these piles. So, feel free to just dig in."

She nodded.

"Alright," Axel put his hand on the ladder. "Now that you are nice and full, I'll take you to tour around the area."

\--

They walked in a radius around Axel's tree. As they walked, Axel explained to Xion about the area, like, where to find water or where to pick edible fruit. Then they arrived at the place they met the day before.

Axel looked at the small cave and then at the grass below him.

"Those guards must have searched the area for a while after they woke up." He knelt down and observed the ground. "See those footprints in the grass? They're all around the place."

Xion crouched beside him and took a look. It was indeed like he said. But she had to look very carefully to see them. She glanced at the man, wondering how he seemed to see them so easily.

"How did you notice them so fast?" She asked.

He stood up and shrugged. "I've been trained to do these sort of things; searching for unusual things in a place, noticing footprints, observing things quickly but carefully."

"Trained?" Xion stood up. "Were you a police or something?"

Axel seemed like he was going to say something but quickly stopped himself. "You're tricky, you know that? You almost made me spill the beans there."

"So you _were_ a police or something?" She repeated.

"Nope. Not telling." He said.

They stared at each other for a few seconds. Then they both cracked up. Axel noticed that he never saw her laugh before. She looked so bright and carefree when she laughed. Suddenly, he had this strangest feeling happening inside his heart. He wanted to make her smile. He wanted to make her laugh.

He wanted to make this girl… happy.

Axel smiled weakly, slightly looking away. "But I guess I can't…" he mumbled.

Xion tilted her head. "What?"

"Nah, it's nothing." He turned toward the sky. "Looks like it's almost lunch time. Let's go get something to eat."

She knew that he was trying to change the subject. She wanted to know what he meant by 'I guess I can't'. But she had a feeling that he won't tell her even if she asked. So she just nodded and followed him through the woods.

They arrived at the riverside. Axel found a rock and sat on it. Xion sat on a rock next to him. Then the man pulled out a cloth bag from his side and took out an apple for each of them. They ate silently.

"Hey," Axel started after he ate about half of his treat. "Can I ask you something?"

Xion nodded as she took another bite of her apple.

"The whole reason why you ran, just the big picture, can you tell me?"

She paused, staring at her half eaten apple. "It's because of who I am." She said quietly.

Axel raised an eyebrow and turned to her. "Who you are…?"

She nodded. "I'm…" But then she stopped herself from saying anymore. "Sorry, I can't tell you. Not yet. I'm not ready to share this…"

"You're scared." Axel concluded. He turned back to the river.

Xion stayed quiet. She turned her apple in her hand. "I guess I am."

Axel took a small bite of his apple. "I'm, too" He said. "But you told me your reason of running. Now it's my turn."

Xion slightly glanced his way.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I ran because someone blamed me for doing something that I didn't do."

She waited for him to continue. But it didn't seem like he was going to say more than that.

Xion wondered what Axel was blamed for. Was he blamed for doing something against the law? Xion started to ask so many questions in her head. Then she realized that maybe Axel is feeling the same way. He might want to know who she was that she had to run. He might be asking himself similar questions about her.

"I see." Xion replied quietly.

They continued eating in silence. Finally, Axel threw his apple core into the woods behind him and stood up to stretch himself. Xion followed his lead.

"How about we go do some exercising?" Axel suggested as he summoned one of his Chakrams. He turned toward Xion. "Do you fight?"

Xion stretched out her hand. The air in front of her shimmered with light. As the light took shape, a Keyblade appeared in her hand.

"Whoa…" Axel said with amazement. "That's one very cool weapon."

"Yeah," Xion held the blade by her side. "I think so, too."

\--

They went to a clearing near Axel's tree. It was just the right size for two or three people to run around or fight. Axel went to stand across from Xion. Then they both got ready to fight.

"I'm letting you know first that I'm not going to go easy on you just because you're a girl, Xion. After all, you have a weapon which means you can fight just fine." Axel warned as he summoned his other Chakram.

"I'm glad you're not underestimating your opponent." Xion grinned. She gripped her Keyblade with both hands and prepared to strike.

The next moment, their weapons clashed and they were pushing each other.

"Not bad." Axel gritted his teeth.

"You, too." Xion replied.

They backed up and closed in again. Xion slashed her blade, aiming for Axel's thigh. But he jumped over her blade and shot a ball of fire at her feet. She swiftly moved her feet away before the fire could burn her. Then she struck out her hand and shot a blast of lightning at him. Axel grunted as his arm got electrocuted. He quickly shot another ball of fire at her but she blocked the attack. Then they backed away from each other again.

"You're pretty good." Axel said. He straightened himself, disarmed his Chakrams and pressed his sore arm.

"I had my trainings as well." Xion said as she disarmed her Keyblade.

They grinned at each other. Xion stretched out her hand and touched Axel's arm. It glowed green, showing that she cured him.

"Thanks..." He examined his arm.

"No problem." She smiled.

Axel stared curiously at her.

_A girl who can use a weapon, fight well, and is full of secrets... Well, I bet she's wondering the same things about me._


	3. CH 3 : TRUST

CH 3 : TRUST

The two walked back to Axel's tree after they sparred a little more, this time without weapons.

"Gee, Xion." Axel said as he rubbed his recently damaged abdomen. "You're strong." He wheezed.

She shyly scratched her cheek. "Aw, I'm not that strong..."

"Come on! No girl could punch a guy like that!" Axel said.

"Oh, well," Xion started. "You were quite strong, too."

"Nah, you're just being polite." He glanced her way. "Hey... why didn't you just fight those guards when they were after you? You could have beaten them if you're this strong."

"I did." Xion said quietly. "But there were too many of them. I've already fought quite a few by the time I was running from those two. I was getting tired. If I fought those two in that state, I might have lost."

Axel nodded. "True enough." Then he tried changing the subject. "Say, how about we spar again tomorrow?"

Xion turned to face him and beamed up. "That's a great idea! Let's do!"

Axel felt his heart skip a beat. But he did his best to mask it. He gave her a thumb's up and grinned. "Sure thing."

\--

A few weeks had past since they met. One day, they were having a meal near the river, when suddenly, Axel turned around, narrowing his eyes at the woods behind them.

"What is it?" Xion asked, turning around as well.

"I feel like we're being… watched." Axel said quietly.

"Being watched?" Xion glanced at him.

He nodded. "To tell the truth, I've been sensing a presence for some time now."

They both stood up and stared at the woods. But all they saw were just a few animals walking by. Axel glared at the trees. He was sure he sensed someone. He knew it. He stepped closer to the trees and looked through them carefully. If someone was around there he should be able to know where. But the presence that he had been sensing had suddenly disappeared.

Finally, he gave the trees one last glare and reluctantly turned back. "Let's… just be careful."

Xion nodded.

They arrived back at Axel's tree about a few minutes later. Axel moved the rock and the two of them quickly went in, then he closed the entrance again. They climbed up to the platform above.

"Whew…" Axel let out a relieved sigh as he sat down on the edge of the platform, one leg propped up as he let the other dangle from the ledge. He faced the setting sun and smiled lightly. "I can never get bored of this sight."

Xion sat down next to him. "Me neither."

They sat quietly for a while, until Xion broke the silence with a question that had been bothering her for some time now.

"Hey, Axel?"

"Hm?"

"I've been wondering," She started. "If someone came to arrest you, even though you didn't do anything wrong like you said, what would you do?"

Axel thought for a while. Then he smiled sadly. "If that happens, then maybe I would just have to face it." He took a deep breath and stared at the sky. "I'm running from my problem instead of dealing with it. So when the time comes, I would eventually have to deal with it... whether I like it or not."

Xion glanced at him. He was smiling, but she could see the hurt and the fear that he was trying to hide. She guessed that deep inside, he must be suffering more than he's letting on. But in spite of that, he was still smiling. She sighed and stared blankly at the sky.

"I wish I had the courage to do that…" She silently said to herself.

\--

They climbed down to the room underground. Axel sat down, leaning against one wall as he reached for a pear from one of the boxes.

"You want one?" Axel lifted the pear.

Xion shook her head. "I'll eat later."

Axel shrugged and started eating the pear. Xion sat down across from him and hugged her knees, feeling a bit down because of some reason she herself didn't understand.

"You know," Axel said after he ate half of the fruit. "I haven't felt like I could trust anyone for a very long time. This might sound strange because we just knew each other for not long but... I feel like if it's you, I can start to trust again."

Xion glanced up at him, confused.

Axel glanced back at her, smiling teasingly. "But of course, it may not be the same for you. You might be afraid that I would turn you in and stuff. So... if you're ready to trust me, just let me know."

Xion stared at him for a second. Then she laughed miserably and glanced sideways at the floor. "Sorry... but it's just hard to trust someone. I trust you, but only as the person who took me in when I had no place to go. I'm thankful of course, but I don't think I can trust you as a friend yet."

Axel paused for a few moments, then he nodded and smiled. "That's okay, I understand. Trusting someone means you believe that person won't abandon or betray you." Axel finished his pear. "I kind of understand what it's like to feel like not trusting anyone."

Xion nodded lightly. Then she buried her face into her hugged knees.

\--

Not so far from their hiding place, a dark figure of a man was peeking from the top of another tree. He saw the two go inside the tree a while ago.

"She's with that Outlaw, huh?" The man smirked. "What a strange twist in the story..."


	4. CH 4 : SECRETS

CH 4 : SECRETS

Slowly, Axel and Xion began to get a little closer to each other. They talked about their favorite things, things they don't like, their feelings, and a few more.

About half a year after they met, Axel was making two cups of fruit tea as he thought about the days that had passed since he met Xion. He felt like he found a friend again. And this time he had a feeling that he wouldn't be betrayed like before.

_I wonder how Xion is feeling, though. Does she trust me yet? I can sense that we're close to friends now. I'm sure I can trust her. But does she feel the same with me? I don't know..._

He was pouring the tea into the cups when he heard an unfamiliar sound from above. He stopped his hands abruptly and listened carefully.

"Did you hear that?" Axel asked Xion, who was reading a book that she brought with her.

"Hear what?" She put down the book and listened.

Then they both heard the sound. It was like footsteps, sounding right above them.

Axel put down the pot and summoned his weapons. Xion did likewise and stood behind Axel.

_How did someone get in here?_ Axel thought. Then his eyes widened like he just realized something. _The presence I felt that day... Could it be...?_

At that moment, Axel noticed that he had made a terrible mistake. The sounds were a trap. He sensed someone right behind the both of them.

The real people were already there.

He turned and saw two shadows behind Xion.

"Look out!" Axel swiftly came to stand in front of her and threw both of his Chakrams at the unwelcomed newcomers. But the two strangers easily blocked the attack, each of them catching one Chakram.

"Your skills have become quite dull, my friend." One said as he threw the Chakram away. The other one did the same.

"No..." Axel stepped back and shook his head slowly, his eyes wide with fear.

The two strangers came out from the shadows. One was a middle aged man with two guns, he had one in his hand and the other casually resting on his shoulder. The other man was younger, about Axel's age. He had long blue hair and a big scar in the middle of his face. He held a big weapon that seemed to be a huge sword.

"Xigbar." Xion glared at the older man.

"Saix." Axel called the other simultaneously.

They turned, staring at each other, puzzled. "You know him...?" Axel and Xion whispered in unison.

"Long time no see, Axel." The blue-haired man said, ignoring the two's confusion. "Or should I say, traitor."

"Traitor...?" Xion wondered out loud as she glanced from the blue-haired stranger to Axel.

Suddenly, Saix swiftly dashed toward Axel. And before he knew it, Axel was hit with full force in the stomach.

"Aargh!" Axel shouted painfully. He put his hands where he was hit and fell on his knees. "Ugh..." He put one hand on the ground for support.

"Axel!" Xion cried. She ran to his side and knelt down to steady him. "Axel! Hang in there, Axel!"

"You're coming with me, Princess." The middle aged man said coldly as he grabbed her arm.

"Princess...?" Axel wheezed, too quiet for anyone to hear his confused tone.

"No!" Xion tried to pull her arm from his grip. "I have no intention to go back." Xion said firmly. "Not when the Kingdom is like that…"

The middle aged man sighed boringly. "You have no choice, Your Highness. I came here to bring you back and that's what I'm going to do."

He pulled her up by the arm with such force that Xion couldn't pull back and was forced to stand up.

"Let me go!" Xion screamed and fought the man.

"Get.. your dirty hands.. away from.. her..!" Axel croaked. He was almost unconscious at this state.

Saix kicked him, making him curl on the ground and cough as he pressed his injured stomach. "You got some nerve to say something like that, Axel." He spat. "You're punishment as a traitor was just to be banished from the Kingdom. But now that we caught you being with the princess, we can finally punish you properly. And this time, as a traitor and a kidnapper."

"No!" Xion struggled to get out from Xigbar's grip. "He has nothing to do with me!"

"Xion…" Axel whispered as he started to lose consciousness. And the last thing he saw was Xion crying and being pulled back by Xigbar.

\--

Axel slowly regained consciousness. He blinked a few times and started to see where he was.

He was in a dim room. He tried to lift his hand to rub his eyes, and noticed that both his hands were chained to the wall. He pulled at them but they wouldn't budge. Then he finally realized where he was. He was in the Dungeon.

He looked across to see bars separating him from the outside. There was one guard standing with his back facing Axel. The red-haired man laughed weakly at the realization.

He was caught.

Suddenly, he remembered _why_ he was caught. He turned to look for Xion. But she wasn't in there.

"Hey!" Axel snapped at the guard. "Where's Xion?"

The guard flinched. Then he glared and pointed his sword at Axel. "How dare you address Her Highness like that? Do you not have any respect?"

"Her… Highness?" Axel said slowly, not wanting to take in the truth. "You mean…"

"It means," A voice said. "She's none of your concern, Outlaw."

Axel looked out to see Saix approaching his cell. "You-" He started but was cut off by Saix.

"Your punishment will be decided today." Saix stood in front of the cell with his arms behind him. He looked down at Axel coldly. "Tomorrow, you will face what you have been running from."

Axel gritted his teeth. "Let me see Xion!"

"Don't you understand, traitor?" Saix let out a small laughed. "She's the Princess of this Kingdom. You are nobody! You don't even have the right to see her."

With that, Saix walked out, leaving Axel to slowly accept the truth.

He sat back, leaning against the cold wall. Before he knew it, tears were slowly trickling down his cheeks. He didn't mean to cry. He didn't know why he was even crying. Maybe it's the hurt caused by Saix. Or the cruel reality that he has to face. Whatever the cause, he just wanted to see Xion.

O_ne more time… just let me see her one more time..._


	5. CH 5 : FRIENDS

CH 5 : FRIENDS

Xion hit the table with both hands. She glared at the person sitting in front of her.

"He did nothing wrong!" Xion said firmly. "Let him go."

The person sitting there pressed a hand to his forehead and shook his head.

"You know that this is beyond my power, Xion. I can't free him unless I get permission from our uncle."

"Then go ask him!" She demanded.

"It's not that easy, and you know it."

It was true. She knew that it was very hard to go see their uncle and ask for Axel's freedom because of all the other stuff their uncle had to attend to and all the paperwork that must be done to present it to him that Axel was truly innocent.

But she also knew that the punishment will be decided this evening and then tomorrow... Who knows what will become of Axel.

"Xion, I know it's hard for you-"

"Then help me!" A line of tears ran down the side of her face. "Please, Roxas."

He stared at her, shocked. He rarely saw her cry. The last time she cried was at their parents' funeral. Does this mean she cares for that guy that much? Is she truly that desperate to help him get out?

Her tears were no lie. He could tell that.

Roxas looked down at his desk for a long time. Silence filled the room except for Xion's sniffles.

Finally, Roxas slowly looked up and into his sister's face.

"Alright, I'll help you."

She paused, but then wiped her tears and started to smile. "Really?"

He nodded. "But I'm warning you, this isn't going to be easy. If something goes wrong, not only Axel, but we may all get in trouble as well." He locked eyes with her. "Are you willing to accept the risks?"

Xion stood up straight and nodded firmly.

\--

The guard standing outside was starting to get annoyed by the screeching sound Axel was making with a rock against the wall.

"Would you stop that?!" The guard turned to yell at him.

"Not until I'm out of here." Axel said dully.

His voice was hoarse, like he hadn't been drinking anything for a long time. In fact, he was given food and drink. But the cup of water and the bread was sitting there next to him, untouched.

He continued to draw on the wall with the rock. Another screeching sounded through the room. The guard gave an annoyed sigh and turned away.

Axel tried sorting out his feelings as he scribbled on the wall.

_She's the Princess and I'm just an Outlaw. But does it matter? I haven't trusted anyone for a long time. She started to change me. I enjoyed the time we spent together. I want to know her more, to spend more time with her..._

Footsteps echoes through the passage. Then they stopped in front of his cell.

"Let him out." A young man's voice commanded.

Axel flinched but didn't bother to see who it was, even though he thought the voice was a bit familiar somehow.

"But Sire," The guard protested. "This man is not allowed to go out until tomorrow."

"I know that." The voice said irritatedly. "I'll return him as soon as I'm done talking to him, privately."

"I'm terribly sorry Sire, but I cannot allow you to do that." The guard confirmed.

The voice paused for a while, and then sighed.

"Fine," He said. "If he can't come out to talk, then I'm going in." He turned to face the guard. "There's nothing against that, is there?"

The guard hesitated but slowly nodded. "No, Sire."

"Then open this door." He said. "And I don't mind if you lock it after I'm in."

The guard unlocked the cell to let the newcomer in. When he was in, the guard closed the door and locked it.

_Now_ Axel was starting to get curious. He stopped his hand from scratching the wall but remained staring at it.

"What do you want?" He asked the stranger without turning to look at him.

The man knelt down close to Axel and whispered ever so quietly that the guard couldn't hear. "I here to help you."

This definitely made Axel turn to see who this man was. The man was actually a teenager who was a bit younger than himself. He had spiky blond hair, blue eyes, and a face that reminded him of someone...

Right. It reminded him of Xion.

"Who are you?" Axel asked cautiously.

"I'm Roxas." He said. "Xion told me about you. I'll help you get out of here."

Axel froze as he realized who this guy actually was.

Roxas, the Crowned Prince. Xion's brother.

Axel almost automatically readjusted his posture and bowed his head. "Your Highness."

Roxas raised his eyebrows. "You were a Royal Guard before, weren't you?"

Axel kept quiet.

"Wait... That red hair... I saw you before." Roxas continued. "You were there when the accident with our parents happened." His eyes widened. "You... were the one who jumped into the fire and carried Xion out."

Now Axel was confused. He slowly looked up to see the Prince's face. Then a flash went through his head. "That day… when the carriage exploded…?"

Roxas nodded, giving him a small smile. "I have to thank you for saving her. I didn't get the chance to say it back then."

Axel shook his head. "It was the King's order; take care of the Princess. I just did what must be done."

"Well," Roxas shrugged. "You won't be able to look after my sister if you're stuck in here, can you? I believe that was my father's last wish. He counted on you." He looked straight into Axel's eyes. "Then so shall I."

Their eyes met and they smiled.

"Now," Roxas started as he became more serious. "About our escape plan..."

\--

"Argh!" Roxas suddenly got pinned to the wall with one of Axel's Chakram to his throat.

The red-haired man glared at the prince. "Did you think I'll believe you just because you told me that?"

"Hey!" The guard quickly took out his keys and started to unlock the door. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"You won't hurt me..." Roxas said with gritted teeth.

"Oh, really?" Axel taunted. "I can hurt you very easily, Your Highness,"

"Let him go this instance!" The guard opened the door and rushed in with his weapon ready.

Axel smirked. "Like this."

Then, like a flash of light, Axel's Chakram was removed from Roxas' throat and flew backwards to hit the guard hard in the chest.

"Ack!"

The guard fell to the ground with a thump and stopped moving.

Axel knelt down to check his pulse. "He's fine."

Roxas stood up and straightened himself. "Good. Now let's go. It won't be long before someone else finds out."

The two headed out of the cell, not forgetting to lock the guard in it. Then they went up the stairs, through a few hallways, down a few more stairs, and then they arrived at a dark basement.

"The fire is out." Roxas whispered into the darkness.

Axel noticed something moving slowly towards them in the dark. He braced himself instinctively but didn't summon his weapons just yet. And he was glad he didn't.

"Thank goodness. You're both safe."

It was Xion.

If they weren't in a hurry, Axel might have hugged her. But he stopped himself and smiled instead. "Thank you both for helping me out."

"Hey, it's what friends do." Roxas said casually. "Besides, your punishment is just not fair. You didn't do anything wrong."

Xion nodded firmly. "We'll have to find a way to prove that you're innocent."

Axel didn't know what to say. He was so glad that these two accepted him. And even though theyvknow the risks, they are willing to help him out.

They believed in him.

They were his friends.

"Thank you..."

Roxas and Xion looked at each other and smiled.

"Well," Roxas said. "We've got to get to someplace safe." He turned to Axel. "Any suggestions?"

Axel thought for a while, then finally looked up. "I know a place." He said. "But it's quite far from here."

"Where is it?" Xion asked.

Just then, they heard people shouting. Alarms started to sound through the place.

Axel frowned. "I'll tell you guys on the way. For now, let's get away from here."


End file.
